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Augustus Norman
In Biggles on the Home Front, Augustus Norman, or Gus for short, was a burglar who hung out at the Barnstaple Arms pub or "The Barn". Norman had been educated in an expensive public school where he met his friend and later partner in crime Gerald "Stony" Stoneways. At some point after leaving school, they decided that burglary was more profitable than a regular job. They targeted luxury flats and, by dressing and speaking well, they were usually able to talk their way past the hall porter. They would then wait until their chosen victim had gone out and break in using a master key. Biggles first met Norman at the Barn when he was undercover as "Ted Walls" trying to find a line to a new "fence" who was believed to be working among the burglars who gathered at the pub. As his cover placed him as a burglar recently released from Pentonville Prison, he made use of the fact that Norman's friend Stoneways was still there behind bars. He approached Norman and told him he had a message from Stoneways--that he would be seeing him soon. Biggles then showed the mounting of a emerald which he was supposed to have stolen and said that Stoneways had suggested that Norman could "put him wise" as to how it could be disposed of. The ploy worked, as Biggles was shortly approached and offered three pounds for the mounting by Verney Laxter. Later, Norman himself approached Biggles and offered to buy the emerald for two hundred pounds. When Norman discovered that the jewel was a fake, he turned up at Biggles' hotel and angrily demanded the money back. When Biggles found that the money had gone and suspected it had been lifted by Dusty Brace, Norman accompanied Biggles back to "The Barn" where they confronted the pickpocket and, with some persuasion from Gaskin, who had turned up (seemingly by chance), got his money back. On leaving the pub, however, Norman had some news for Biggles: "Stony" Stoneways had indeed escaped from prison and would indeed be seeing him soon. Norman's pleasure at the prospect of meeting his old friend was shortlived. Stoneways was soon recaptured--he had been silly enough to steal a car to get to the meeting with Norman. It was this silly act of Stoneways that initiated the downfall of the rest of the gang. Norman had been waiting nearby for Stoneways nearby when he was recaptured. A Scotland Yard man spotted Norman and followed him on the train from King's Cross to Hertford North where he was seen being picked up by a black Daimler. Biggles and Ginger then staked out Hertford North and spotted the same black Daimler and followed it to the Gortons, which turned out to be the operational base of the gang headed by Eustace Carlton. Biggles met Norman one more time. This was at the Gortons after he and Ginger had been taken there by Verney Laxter to be accused of being police spies by the gang leader Eustace Carlton. Carlton boasted to Biggles that his criminal teams would be sent on their lasts job before they cleared out of the country. There would be two separate crimes, a cat burglary of a film star's flat in Mayfair and a smash and grab of a jeweller's shop in Kensington. Considering his particular expertise and background, it can be assumed that Norman went out with his associate Swell Noble on the cat burglary job and like Noble, was arrested on his return to the Gortons. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters